My name is Rich Smith & here is my nightmare... My girl friend gave
birth to my beautiful daughter, Jazzmin Star Smith on May 15,2006 at
10:15pm at Yuma hospital in Yuma Arizona... Urine was taken from
mother & baby to test for drugs without their knowledge or
permission... My daughter tested positive for THC(marijuana), I think.
The mother tested positive for THC & methamphetamine... All this is
really just hearsay since we don't have any paperwork on this
matter...A CPS investigator from Yuma CPS, Julie Bloss, came to the
mothers hospital room & conducted an interview with both of us on May
16,2006... Here I'll interject, my girl friend & I had not been living
together since March 4,2006... She was in Yuma with her mother & other
7 year old daughter & I live in Scottsdale AZ... In this interview Ms.
Bloss told us that both of us would have to take a hair follicle drug
test... She also said that if the mother would take the test at 9am
then by 10:30 we could leave with our baby... At about noon the
hospital staff came & took our baby away & escorted the mother off the
property... Later that day, on advice from a local lawyer, we went to
the hospital to try & pic up our baby. They refused to give her to us
& gave me a copy of the letter they had received via fax from CPS...
It basically stated that Juile Bloss, an employee of CPS, put a "hold"
on our baby... That was the last time I got any information about my
baby... Yuma CPS procedure states there will be a preliminary hearing
before a child is taken with all parties involved, including the
parents, that didn't happen... It also states that the parents will
receive a TCN no more than 6 hours after the child is taken, I still
haven't received that... It says that a post hearing will take place
in no less than 5 days & in no more than 7 days will all involved
parties attending, that didn't happen... I have no judges order to
take my baby... I found out from having an attorney call Julie Bloss
that there is a hearing on June 13,2006... I had another investigator
from the Yuma CPS office that because of my criminal background I
couldn't have my baby... She then told me that people with criminal
history could not have children... Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a
saint... I have a couple outstanding warrants for traffic violations &
I've done things in my past that I'm not to proud of. But I'm 47 years
old & have never had any children... When I found out I was going to
be a father, I straightened up & quit doing stupid things...I have a
GREAT job & a 3bdrm 2 bth condo in Scottsdale... I am & have been for
a long time a productive member of society... But when I held my baby
for the first time, everything in my world changed!!! It was an
incredible,fantastic feeling!!! If I had known it would feel like
that, I would have had children a long time ago!!! By far, the BEST
day of my life!!!! Then it all ended, by no fault of my own... The
happiest day of my life & the worst day of my life in the same 48 hour
period...
Now 20 days later I still no nothing... CPS Yuma tried to have Yuma
police arrest me & have had Scottsdale police knock on my door... My
girlfriend is living with me again in Scottsdale... We both have left
somewhere close to 200 messages with CPS Yuma & have gotten no
response... All attorneys I've talked to want a 3500 dollar retainer
to start & I don't have that kind of money laying around... I hate to
even think this, but I don't know if I'll ever see my beautiful little
daughter again... It kills me that someone else is bonding & holding &
maybe even loving my baby instead of me... I don't know what to do or
who to trust or who to believe... I have read so many horror stories
on the Internet about CPS & foster parents that I'm loosing hope...
If anyone out there can offer any suggestion or help or anything,
please please please contact me...
Rich Smith
tigerlights@...
480.217.3694 call anytime as I don't really sleep much since this
started...